🥒 Courgette Seeds Striato d’Italia | Classic Italian Striped Zucchini | Early, Bushy & High Yield

Striato d’Italia is the traditional striped Italian courgette: a vigorous, bushy plant that produces heavy crops of medium‑sized fruits over a long season. The courgettes are deep green with pale green stripes and slight ribbing, with a firm texture that holds well in the pan and a full, nutty flavour.​
Highly productive, each plant can yield several kilos of fruit, making it a favourite for home gardeners, kitchen gardeners and small market‑garden plots. The plants also carry plenty of flowers, which can be harvested for stuffed blossoms and other classic Italian recipes.​

Growing information

🌱 Sowing

• Sow indoors from March to April in pots or modules and plant out after the last frost, or sow direct outdoors from late May once the soil has warmed.​

• Use rich, fertile soil or compost and avoid disturbing the roots too much at transplanting time.

☀️ Light

• Needs full sun for best yields and flavour.​

💧 Watering

• Water generously, especially in dry spells and while fruits are swelling, aiming for deep, regular watering rather than light sprinkles.​

• Mulch around plants to help keep moisture in and reduce weeds.

🌡️ Germination

• Germinates in warm conditions, usually in 7–10 days at typical courgette sowing temperatures (around 18–24 °C).​

📏 Spacing & size

• Allow about 80–100 cm between plants in each direction to give the bush room to spread.​

• Plants are bush‑forming rather than trailing, but still quite large and leafy.

Bullet Technical Data

• 🌱 Sowing depth: 2–3 cm​

• 📅 Sow (Ireland): indoors March–April; plant out or sow direct late May–June once frost risk has passed​

• ☀️ Light: full sun​

• 🌡️ Germination: 7–10 days in warm conditions​

• 📏 Height/spread: bushy plants spreading to around 80–100 cm​

• 🪴 Spacing: approx. 80–100 cm between plants​

• ⏳ Harvest: from about 55–60 days after sowing; best picked at 15–20 cm long, though still good eating at 25–30 cm​

• 🔢 Seeds: approx. 7 g packet, usually around 30–50 seeds​

Tips & Tricks

• Harvest courgettes regularly when they are still young and glossy; this keeps plants producing and flavour at its best.​

• Pick some flowers (with or without baby fruits attached) for stuffing and frying, leaving enough on the plant to keep fruits coming.​

• Feed with a high‑potash fertiliser once plants start flowering to support heavy cropping through summer.​

Garden‑to‑Table Recipe

Griddled Striato d’Italia Courgettes with Lemon & Herbs (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 3–4 medium Striato d’Italia courgettes

• 2 tbsp extra‑virgin olive oil

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

• A handful of parsley or basil, chopped

• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Slice the courgettes lengthways into thin strips, toss with 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt.

2. Heat a griddle pan until hot and cook the slices on both sides until nicely marked and tender.

3. Mix the remaining oil with lemon juice, garlic and pepper, drizzle over the warm courgettes, scatter with herbs and serve.